Poulenc: Cello Sonata/Sonata For Two Pianos/Sonata For Piano Four Hands/Solo Piano Works (CD)

BBC Music Magazine
April 2026
Chamber Choice

Pascal Rogé (piano), Lidy Blijdorp (cello), Elena Font (piano)

Poulenc: Cello Sonata, Op. 143
Poulenc: Sonata for Two Pianos
Poulenc: Sonata for Piano four hands, FP 8
Poulenc: Mouvements perpétuels, FP 14a
Poulenc: Nocturne No. 1 in C major, FP 56
Poulenc: 15 Improvisations: Nos. 1, 2 & 7

Pascal Rogé, widely regarded as the preeminent interpreter of French piano repertoire, turns his attention to the music of Francis Poulenc in this charming and elegant collection. The album features a range of superbly crafted works, from the witty and sometimes brittle Cello Sonata, performed with Lidy Blijdorp, to the expansive Sonata for Two Pianos with Elena Font. In addition to their collaborative efforts on the four-hand sonata, Font performs a selection of solo piano works, including the Mouvements perpétuels and several of Poulenc's characterful Improvisations.

"Pascal Rogé has long been a doyen of French piano music, with his shimmering gentle hues and deft touch. Poulenc’s music, though, has a brittle, dark edge – a sadness that evokes with equal mastery… Font is equally compelling in her intoxicating and varied timbres in the Mouvements Perpétuals." — BBC Music Magazine, April 2026